title: Lipid rafts and T-lymphocyte function: implications for autoimmunity.
abstract: Experimental evidence indicates that the mammalian cell membrane is compartmentalized. A structural feature that supports membrane segmentation implicates assemblies of selected lipids broadly referred to as lipid rafts. In T-lymphocytes, lipid rafts are implicated in signalling from the T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) and in localization and function of proteins residing proximal to the receptor. This review summarizes the current literature that deals with lipid raft involvement in T-cell activation and places particular emphasis in recent studies investigating lipid rafts in autoimmunity. The potential of lipid rafts as targets for the development of a new class of immune-modulating compounds is discussed.
authors.affiliation: William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary's School of Medicine & Dentistry, University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, United Kingdom. p.s.kabouridis@qmul.ac.uk
authors.forename: Panagiotis S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Kabouridis
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Jury
mesh_terms: D015551:Autoimmunity; D006801:Humans; D021962:Membrane Microdomains / Q000276:immunology*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000819:agonists / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell